


Showtime

by StarRoseColors



Series: Heartbeat [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Although that really isn't discussed, Blood, Child Death, Developing Friendships, Family, Friendship, Gen, Ghosts, Hispanic Character, Inspired by FNAF, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Character of Color, LGBTQ Female Character of Color, Mentions of Death, Mentions of Murder, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Robotics, Trauma, Unsafe Workspace Environment, Violence, cruel irony, head injuries, hispanic culture, mentions of gore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:40:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22643488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarRoseColors/pseuds/StarRoseColors
Summary: Due to the need of quick and easy rent money, lack of interest anywhere else, and the issues that come from a traumatic childhood accident, Elizabeth "Liza" Dorado ends up getting a questionable job as the night guard of Ted Bear's Pizza, where kids can enjoy arcade games and pizza in the company of the pizzeria's animatronics.But there's more to this place then what lurks underneath. Years of a family tragedy and blood- some of it her own- stain the pizzeria, and Liza might not have enough time to solve it.
Series: Heartbeat [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1628848





	1. The Newspaper Ad

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Devil's Spine](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5305535) by [CharlieMcarthy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharlieMcarthy/pseuds/CharlieMcarthy). 



**The Newspaper Ad**

_"Happy birthday_ _Liza...happy_ _birthday_ _Liza...happy_ _birthday to you!" It was dark, the candles being the only spot of light. The 10 on the cake was dark red._ _Liza_ _couldn't stop smiling, even as her cheeks hurt._

Something is wrong _E_ _verything is alright._

_"Blow out the candles sweetheart!"_

_She leaned forward, cheeks filling up with air..._

_PAINPAINPAINPAINWHYISEVERYTHINGPAIN-_

Liza let out a gasp as her eyes shot open. She laid there, panting for a good minute, staring at the cracks in her ceiling. It took another minute before she realized that her nails were digging holes into her cheap sheets. She sat up, letting out a sigh.

She glanced at the clock, letting out a groan at 8 AM. The Hispanic woman should've woken up two hours earlier. Liza had _planned_ on it last night.

She stumbled out of bed and to the chest of drawers she had brought from her bedroom to the crappy apartment she lived in. She rustled through it before pulling out an old grey scarf and, using muscle memory, tied the cotton fabric around her head. The scarf hid white scars that arched across her forehead before disappearing into dark hair.

When Liza entered the kitchen, she groaned when she saw a piece of paper shoved under her door. She grabbed it- yep. It was another warning from her landlord, stating she had two weeks to turn in this month's rent. It was an unneeded reminder that she had _none_ of that money at the moment. As well as...

_I'm sorry, Miss Dorado. But with the...you know..._

_We'll call you if the position opens up again..._

_I'm sorry..._

Liza crumbled up the warning and threw it on the counter. She started up the coffee machine and as it brewed, she considered the inside of her fridge. She ended up settling the dubious leftovers of Abuelita's _paella_.

She flipped through the newspaper when breakfast was ready and she had taken two pills from the nearly-empty bottle, looking through the HELP WANTED section. With a red pen, Liza marked each possible job, shoveling rice and chicken in with the other hand. Grocery store cashier, garage mechanic, mechanic, another cashier...

She stopped, staring at the ad.

 _Ted Bear's Pizza looking for night guard! An exciting career that offers a lot of_ _smiles and new opportunities..._ Liza skimmed through the ad, grinning when she saw the pay and lack of needed skills. All this job really required was for her to sit in an office from midnight to six in the morning and make sure nobody broke in and stole the animatronics. Great-Tio Rafael would be pleased that she was getting into what could be considered 'the family business'. _Drop-ins allowed, ask for Mr. Calworth._

She circled the ad.

_-_-_

The place honestly looked gloomy.

Liza considered the restaurant in her beat-up old Jeep, biting the inside of her cheek. Ted Bear's Pizza had apparently been a favorite of hers when she was younger. Then the accident on her tenth birthday had occurred, leaving a huge gap in her memory and the scars on her head. She wasn't sure how the restaurant was connected, but her tio had never brought her here.

Well, time to break that streak.

When she poked her head in, it was to see the gloominess of outside had also affected the inside. The dining hall was almost empty. The animatronics were singing on-stage, the song echoing through the hall. What looked like a month's worth of crud caked the floor. Her scars started to ache as she considered the place.

This was the place she enjoyed so much?

She and younger Liza needed to have some _words_.

"Can I help you?"

The twenty-five-year-old turned, seeing an older man. He wore an ill-fitting suit that failed to hide his girth and was stained at the pits. He gave her a polite smile full of yellow teeth. Liza blinked before trying to politely smile back. "Um, I'm looking for Mr. Calworth? The newspaper ad said I should ask for him?"

"Well, you've found him." He held out a sausage-like hand. Liza hesitantly took it and gave it a firm shake. "I'm Marthy Calworth, the manager here." His smile faded as he released her hand to look her up and down. "Are you...here for the night guard position?"

_Xlow, xifvo orzi._

"Yes!" She backtracked at her eagerness, trying to settle. "I mean, yes. I am."

He grinned again. "That's wonderful. If you could..." Liza handed him her resume. Calworth took it, still with that grin and a nod. "Now, let's take this conversation over to my office." He led her away from the dining hall and to a set of steel doors, past a blue set of curtains, patterned with anchors. For some reason, Liza stopped.

"Is that..." She racked her brains for a moment, trying to remember what Tio Rafael called it. "Captain Bun's Treasure Cavern?"

"Why, yes, it is!" Mr. Calworth had been looking over her resume and now looked oddly pale. "We don't do it anymore, unfortunately. We haven't done it in a while because Bun's out of service and we don't have the money to fix her." He pushed back the curtain, revealing Captain Bun.

'She' was a grey-furred bunny, wearing a white shirt and brown pants. Over one glass red-eye was an eyepatch, and a small pirate hat sat between her ears. Her fur was torn in several places, revealing her endoskeleton. Liza couldn't help the distressed hiss that escaped her. Mr. Calworth nodded as he dropped the curtain. He gestured for her to continue following him. She did, giving Treasure Cavern one last glance.

They passed the kitchen to a small office. "This will be your office," Calworth said, still staring at her resume with the pale look.

Liza stepped inside to glance around, taking in the mess of TVs and computer monitors on the desk, the torn-up swivel chair, and the drawings that kids must've done over the years plastered on the walls. Then his words hit her. She turned to him with a bright grin. "I got the job?!"

"You got the job, Miss Dorado, starting tomorrow night," Calworth said with a firm nod. His smile had returned, but it was too wide to be anything but fake. She decided to ignore it. "Why don't you wait here, look around while I grab your uniform?"

"Sure!"

Mr. Calworth disappeared down the hall, letting Liza consider the office. There were four red buttons on a remote. She picked it up, reading the fading print: WEST DOOR, WEST LIGHTS, EAST DOOR, EAST LIGHTS. Looking around, she pressed the west door button.

The button lit up in green. On the right, a steel door slammed down.

She let out a yelp, nearly dropping the remote. Liza scrambled to catch it, pressing the button again. It returned to red as the door slid up. She set the remote on the desk and hurried out of the office. She nearly slammed into Mr. Calworth, who was holding what she presumed to be her uniform. "Is everything alright?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Um...yep!"

He looked unconvinced but handed her the uniform anyway. "See you tomorrow, Miss Dorado."

"Right! See you tomorrow."

She hurried out, unaware of the eyes following her.


	2. Night 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for the first shift.

**Night 1**

The uniform was too big.

Liza ended up rolling up the pants to tuck them into her work boots and used a few spare pins to keep the sleeves of her button-up rolled up. The entire thing was a shade of blue, faded in the way a few hundred washes could only do. Over her heart was _Ted Bear's Pizza_ , stitched in golden thread. (Which was _weird_ , since none of the characters she saw were yellow.) The worse part was the hat.

She could've just dropped the scarf. It wasn't like anyone was going to see her or the scars that arched across her forehead. But the very thought of that made her want to faint. So, she struggled for fifteen minutes to get the too-small hat to fit over the scarf. She finally yanked it on with a grunt, ignoring how tight it was.

She could take the hat off at the office.

Liza arrived at 11:40, right when the last of the cleaning crew was leaving. Mr. Calworth was waiting for her just inside the dining hall. "I forgot to mention yesterday- to save power, we use a generator during the night," he said, patting her shoulder. "I'll lock the door."

"Wait, but I'm supposed to-"

He was already out the door. "Lock up..." Liza raised a brow but decided to ignore the...shadiness of the entire thing.

_Sv'h_ _srwrmt_ _hlnvgsrmt._

She settled into the office easily, picking up the tablet that was apparently used to monitor the cameras. Liza hummed an absent tune as she flipped through the cameras. Ten, then twenty minutes passed before the clock showed 12:00. The lights shuddered as the restaurant switched from city to generator power.

The phone rang.

Liza let out a yelp, nearly falling over in the chair. She righted herself and grabbed the phone. Had Mr. Calworth forgotten to tell her something? "Hello-?"

 _"Hello, hello! Hey, I wanted to record a message for you, to help you out on your first night."_ Oh. It was a recording. Liza set the phone back into place. _"Um, I actually worked in that office, finishing my last week. I know this job can get...overwhelming."_

Liza scoffed. "It's watching a bunch of animatronics to make sure they don't get stolen." She returned to leaning back, flipping through the cameras. "How overwhelming can it get?" She stopped on the dining hall's cam, noticing something

" _There's this company policy thing I have to read, so here we go. Welcome to Ted Bear's Pizza, a magical place for kids and smiles, blah, blah...Ted Bear's Pizza is not responsible for damage to property or person..."_ All the animatronics were staring at the camera. _"Upon discovery that death has occurred, a missing person report will be filed in 90 days, or until the cleanup and bleaching is done."_ Liza stiffened, staring at the phone in horror.

What the fuck.

 _"Now, I know it sounds bad. But really, there's nothing to worry about! The_ _animatronics_ _here do get a bit...quirky at night, but do I blame them? No! If I had to sing the same stupid songs for years without a bath, I'll be a bit irritable too! So, remember, these characters hold a special place in everyone's hearts and we need to treat them with respect!"_

He continued on about some free-roam mode and servos locking up, Liza still stuck on the 'death has occurred' part. _"Uh, they used to be able to free-roam during the day, but then the Bite of '85 happened. Then they got taken off free-roam a few years later, but a kid got too close a few years ago and the Bite of '05 happened."_

_What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck..._

_"The first kid died. I think the second kid was in a coma for a bit, but she survived after they stitched her brain back together. Amazing, right?"_ There was a chuckle. _"Now, concerning your safety, the only real threat to you as a_ _nightguard_ _is that the_ _animatronics_ _will confuse you for an_ _endoskeleton_ _without a suit. That's against the rules here, so they'll try to stuff you into a suit. That wouldn't be so bad, except they're filled with machinery and stuff. Which can cause a little bit of discomfort...and death."_

_QUEMIERDAQUEMIERDAQUEMIERDAQUEMIERDA..._

_"Yeah, the only part of you that would likely see the light of day again is your eyeballs."_ There was another sardonic chuckle. Liza started to hit her head against the desk, resisting the urge to wail. _"Yeah, they don't tell you this when they hire you. But, hey! The first day should be a breeze! Remember to conserve power, check your cameras, and use the doors only if absolutely necessary. Talk to you tomorrow!"_

The recording ended. Liza peeled her face off the desk to grab the tablet. She paled at not only seeing that the power was already at 98% but the dog...Rex, that's right, was off-stage. He was standing in the center of the dining hall, staring at the camera with a cross look. She gulped, glancing at the remote. 

She could figure out what the military-grade doors were for now.

-_-

There was a heartbeat.

It could feel it, all the way in the dark. It hummed in absent acknowledgement. It was too hard to choose during the day, it distracted from the adults by the lovely, glowing heartbeats of the children. It was forced to choose during the night, with only one type to choose from.

Talk about slim pickings.

It reached out for the heartbeat-

 _Oh_.

Cruel irony. Too cruel for this world, but not cruel enough for this family tragedy. It could feel its _Other_ shift, recognizing the familial bond. It pulled away to soothe before returning to the feeling of the heart. 

The choice was cruel. But it didn't have a choice.

It had been too choosy in the past. _He_ had been too choosy.

Cruel irony could wait.

-_-

When Liza decided to try the east hall light and saw Rex's leering face, she let out a scream and jabbed the east door hard enough that she was sure for a minute that she had broken her finger.

She sat there panting for a minute. _Tio_ _Rafael was right, I need to cut down on_ _la cafeína_ _._ She glanced at the tablet to see the battery drop from 96 to 85- crap, she still had the door down. (Why did these doors take up power closed?) Liza peered through the window. The lack of Rex meant she could probably open the door.

She glanced through the cameras to see the trio's guitarist, Kitty-Cat, was gone. The camera in the kitchen lacked a picture, but it did have audio. She could hear the crash of pots and pans. When she glanced at the Parts and Services room, Rex was glaring at the camera.

"Buen perro. Quédate ahí."

She stopped at Treasure Cavern's camera, noticing that the curtain was twitching. Eventually, it moved to reveal Captain Bun, staring at the camera. Liza raised a brow at the bunny's position. The animatronic looked tense, like it was preparing to-

No.

"No, no, no," Liza hissed, trying to figure out which hallway. Her tablet choked for death, which she quickly stopped with a shake. She gave another hiss to the bunny. "No te atrevas!"

Bun took off. The woman froze, realizing she could hear the bunny coming. She sprang for the remote, slamming the west door button. It slammed down right when Bun was at the doorway. Liza let out a sigh of relief, glancing at her phone. It was only 2. Huh, time ran fast when you were fighting for your life-

Bang.

She fell back with a yelp.

BANG!

She scrambled back, staring at the west door in terror.

BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG-

It sounded like Bun was trying to break down the door. Liza took a chance and checked the east light. She was forced to push the east door button when she saw Kitty. It felt like an eternity before the banging stopped and she heard Bun run away. It took a little longer before she heard Kitty limp away.

74%.

This tablet was a traitor, she decided. A horrible traitor. Un horrible, horrible pedazo de mierda bastardo. She was calling tio Rafael after her shift to demand what he and tio Vincent were thinking when they were making these things. Then she was quitting.

The hours slipped away as she fended off Rex, Kitty, and Bun. Strangely, Ted himself hadn't come by yet, even though he was clearly off-stage. As the hours passed, it seemed like they were getting discouraged. It was 5:50 AM when the pedazo de mierda that called itself a tablet was at 5%. She whimpered as it fell to 4, 3, 2...

It was exactly 5:59 when it hit 0.

The doors slid up. The lights died. The horrible, horrible pedazo de mierda bastardo went dark. Liza sat frozen in the dark, dead silence. She covered her mouth when she heard heavy footsteps, trying to stifle her breathing. A music box was playing- sickeningly, she recognized the tune. It was a lullaby that her family sang to each other. She resisted a hysterical giggle.

_Voy a_ _morir_ _a manos de la_ _creación_ _de mis tíos,_ _escuchando_ _a_ _mi_ _canción_ _de_ _cuna_ _familiar._

Before she could think of some type of escape plan, the footsteps stopped at the door. She looked up to meet Ted Bear's brown eyes. She could recognize Tío Vincent's eyes in the brown glass orbs. This time, she didn't resist the hysterical giggle.

A hand reached for her...

The lights flipped on. Liza let out a squawk, closing her eyes. When she peeled them open, Ted had stepped back. Was it just her or did he look frustrated? She didn't have time to take in his expression, because he turned and walked away. She grabbed the tablet and let out a cheer when it came to life. She watched through the cameras as the animatronics returned to the stage.

Even with her good cheer, it took a good ten minutes before Liza could manage her way out. She was forced to pass through the dining hall. She passed by the stage. For some reason, she paused to consider them.

There, they looked perfectly innocent. Nope, nothing weird here at all, no siree.

_They could buy steel_ _bombproof_ _doors, but not a technician to reprogram these things?_

Tomorrow, she was going to call Mr. Calworth and try to quit. She shot out of the restaurant with that thought, heading to her car. She grabbed her phone when she was safe inside the beaten up Jeep, pausing when she saw that there was a new email alert. She clicked it, dread curling in her gut. It was from her pharmacy, reminding her of the new price of her meds.

Liza didn't realize until later that she started trembling. She turned off her phone and threw it to the other side of her car. She curled into herself, glaring at the steering wheel. She finally let out a sigh.

One more day couldn't hurt. She could try and call the recording guy back.

One more day, and then she'll quit.


	3. The Musicbox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 25/3 year-old Liza finds a present and a music box.

**The** **Musicbox**

Liza forced herself to go home to shower in the crappy cold water only shower- the hot office and fear for her life had produced _sweat_ \- and change before she went to _tío_ Rafael's house.

The three-story house was where Liza had spent her childhood since she was ten. Her parents had disappeared after the same accident that left scars on her head and somehow, she ended up living with _tío_ Rafael. She wasn't sure why- he was her great uncle, and she had Aunt Camilla-Rose and Uncle Jorge. But that did spare her from her cousin Candela.

Liza marched up to the door to give it a solid knock. There was a moment before the door opened, revealing her foster cousin Lynn. She had been a foster child when Liza moved in, although she had moved out years ago to become a psychologist. "Oh boy," Lynn said when she saw her. "You should probably wait, Abuelita-"

_"¡Lynn! ¡Vuelve, querida, para_ _que_ _sepas_ _dónde_ _está_ _la fiesta!"_

Lynn turned to yell back. _"_ _Un_ _minuto!"_ Liza had paled at the voice from inside by the time she turned back, rolling her eyes. "Sorry, Abuelita's here, raving about _Candela's_ engagement party."

Liza winced. "Oh! Um...Who is she..." (Give her a break. She and Candela weren't exactly close.)

Lynn took pity. "This guy named Tom. Don't tell her or Abuelita, but I don't think he was planning for it to go this far."

" ** _Lynn_**!"

" _Un minuto, Abuelita!"_

There were scoff and some footsteps, approaching the door. Lynn gestured for her to run. Liza turned to follow that advice. _"¡Un momento, dice..."_ She froze. _"¡Ah! Elizabeth, preciosa, ¡estás aquí!"_

She turned back, fixing a fake grin on her face at the sight of the old woman. "Abuelita!" The old woman pulled her into a hug. " _¡Me_ _alegro_ _de verte!_ _Otra_ _vez._ "

" _¡También me_ _alegro_ _de verte, nieta!_ " Abuelita pushed Liza away to smile even harder. That smile warned that talk about Candela, Abuelita's favorite, was incoming. Lynn and Liza shared winces- it wasn't like either of them hated their abuelita or their prima.

It...was just tiring.

" _¡¿Escuchaste_ _las_ _noticias?! Tom_ _finalmente_ _le_ _ha_ _propuesto_ _a_ _Candela_ _!_ " She opened her mouth to reply, but her great-grandmother was already dragging her inside. They passed three more foster kids- Tucker, Huang Fu, and Anne- playing in the living room as they entered the kitchen. _"Rafael,_ _Candela_ _y Tom, Marisol, mira_ _quién_ _vino de visita!"_

 _Tío_ Rafael was sitting with Liza's cousin and her twin, as well as a blonde guy who must've been Tom, at the kitchen table. Rafael aimed a warm smile at his great-niece. " _Hola, Liza._ "

" _Hola,_ _Tío_ _Rafael._ " Liza turned her fake grin to Candela, who was gripping and nuzzling Tom's arm like there was no tomorrow. (He looked a bit lost.) "Congratulations, Candela," she said in English, for the benefit of Tom. "I'm so happy for you."

"Heh, it's no big deal," Candela said with a sweep of a hand, showing off the huge diamond on there. "I just knew Tom was the one." Liza shared an eye roll with Marisol and Lynn. "Anyway, the party's next weekend at 5. You can remember that, right?"

Everything went silent. Liza could feel everyone's eyes on them. She managed to regain her smile, nodding. "Of course! Now, as much as I enjoy your...company, I'm actually here to-"

"Oh my gosh! You have to hear how he proposed!"

Liza felt the urge to bang her head against something.

-_-

When she parked at the restaurant, it was 11:30. She had arrived earlier than yesterday, planning on trying to talk to Mr. Calworth. But, when she got in, there was nobody there. She paused, staring at the place, very certain that they had left at 11:40 last night. The dining hall looked like there wasn't even a cleaning crew.

The three animatronics stood on-stage, looking innocent as hell. It looked creepy, like they hadn't moved at all last night. Liza stuck her tongue out at them. She flinched a minute later at the thought of them taking even worse offense to that, and hurried to her office. Midnight must be when they started that weird night mode.

She should've come earlier.

Why were they hunting her? The whole 'endoskeleton' sounded like a bad lie.

Liza bit her lip before glancing outside. It was a bad idea, but she still had twenty minutes left. Her curiosity won out. First, though, she ducked back in to grab the landline and dial star-66. The phone guy must have some answers to her questions. Instead of the guy, she received an answering machine. It was late and he was probably asleep- she could try later.

She grabbed the office flashlight before she made her way down the hall, keeping to the shadows. A too-loud creak made her dart through the nearest door. She resisted a scream when she found herself surrounded by parts. Liza glanced at the sign on the door, only to groan. Of course. She was in _Parts and Services._

Liza flipped the switch to lighten the dark room. There was a shudder of light before two bulbs blew. "Great," she grumbled. Now, there were shadows to jump at. She did jump at one when she poked around. A stab of pain lanced up her arm. She glanced over to see that she had scratched herself against a spare endoskeleton. Liza hissed as she grabbed the cut to stem the blood, glancing over to see a shelf of spare heads.

_The room was dark, but she could still see the toys. This must be the Prize Room!_

She let out a shudder, moving past. A loud screech, coming from outside, made her freeze. She watched as a blur of grey sped past the doorway. That must've been Bun, which meant...oh no. It was midnight and she was far from the safety of her office. Liza immediately shut the door and turned off the light before she could blink.

She had to be quiet.

_What was most interesting was the pretty present box, perched on the counter. The three-year-old wandered up closer to get a look at the purple paper and the_ _poofy_ _golden bow on top. But, even as she stood on tippy-toes, she couldn't see it!_

Liza tried to move lightly on her feet, further into Parts and Services and farther away from the door. Hopefully, if any of the animatronics poked their head in here, they wouldn't see her. Instead, she ended up tripping.

The breath knocked out of her, Liza froze on the floor. She could hear footsteps passing by. From what she had figured last night, Bun had a metal leg and Kitty and Rex shared a limp. A hand clamped over her mouth: it was Ted, just outside the door. She laid there, heart pounding in her ears, for what felt like an eternity. Finally, the footsteps walked away.

_Liza_ _looked around for something to help her to see the present. She ended up pushing a chair behind the counter and climbing up it. She was able to get next to the present and look at it better. The purple wrapping paper had a pattern of flowers that_ _Tío_ _Rafael called 'oleanders.' The bow suddenly shuddered._

_Something was inside!_

She sat up, aiming the office-issued flashlight at what she had tripped over.

It looked like a Ted suit, although the fur had lightened to a shade of gold and the eyes were empty sockets. It sat there, collapsed and lifeless. For some reason, instead of running away, Liza set aside the flashlight. She reached up and gently unhooked the faceplate from the suit.

The suit was empty inside, just as she expected it to be. No, wait...Liza reached inside. She snagged something that felt rough, then snatched something smooth from deeper in the suit. She pulled her hand back to look under the flashlight.

It was what looked like a clump of blonde hair and the shreds of a green ribbon. Both were stiff with age.

_Liza_ _attempted to pull off the lid, but it remained firm. The three-year-old whined- she needed to see what was inside! She looked around again for something to help her._

Liza tucked the two into her pocket before replacing the faceplate and trying to get to her feet. Instead, she kicked something. She winced at the noise. If she had broken something, Mr. Calworth probably wouldn't be very happy. She got to her knees, swinging the flashlight over.

It was a present.

It looked _old_. What must've been a few years of dust and grime had dulled the bow into an ugly shade of yellow. She could see _some_ type of pattern on the purple wrapping paper, but the grime made it hard to see. Liza blinked in confusion before looking around for something to explain why a _present box_ , of all things, was in this horror room.

Her flashlight caught the gleam of something on the workbench next to them.

Her eyes lan _ded on a music box._

_It was pretty._ _Liza_ _picked it up to examine it further. It was a shade of dark blue, while gold made_ _oleander_ _patterns on it. She glanced between it and the present. Could this help her? She started cranking it until the handle couldn't move anymore, then released._

When Liza heard the twinkling tune, she nearly broke it by grabbing the handle. The animatronics would hear and Ted would break the door down and grab her and start _stuffing UNTIL SHE FIT-_

_Liza_ _giggled when she recognized the tune. It was the family lullaby, about oleanders!_ _Tío_ _Rafael played it whenever she stayed at his house. She watched as the music box played the song. Until it finally stopped..._

_And the b_ ox opened.

Liza stared at...whatever it was.

It _looked_ like an animatronic, which made her tense. It had a completely black body, except for the face. The face looked like a china mask, completely white. Blue streaks were painted from the eyeholes to the cheeks. The chin was painted red- it looked like _blood_ , stretching from a mouth made of a black line. It stared at her with little white dots, floating in dark eye sockets. Liza stared back, ready to run.

A spindly-thin hand raised up and a finger beckoned.

She wasn't sure why, but she scooted closer until she was right next to the Ted suit. The thing glanced downwards. Liza followed it's gaze to see the cut on her arm. "Oh, um..." She held her arm out so it could see it better. "I scratched myself a little bit ago." The dots flicked from the cut to her, and she got the feeling it was unimpressed. It turned in its box, turning around a minute later to reveal a bandage. "Thank you?"

...that was totally an eye-roll.

It withdrew a little when it finished bandaging up her arm, watching her. Liza watched it back. "So...what now?" she said finally, wincing at the too-loud volume of her voice. The thing merely stared before rising a little...

She didn't have a chance to yell before one spindly finger tapped her on the forehead.

And it all went dark.

The job done, the Puppet retreated back in its box.

_"Hey, Liza, look!"_

_Liza_ _looked over from the guard's hold. The Puppet pointed to its head. The three-year-old raised a brow as she raised a hand to her head. She pulled out her yellow hairband, offering it over. The Puppet took it before retreating back into the box and shutting the lid._

_She was starting to wonder how to explain losing her headband to her mama before the lid opened and it popped up again, offering the headband back. A pretty bow now sat on it, made of yellow ribbon._ _Liza_ _couldn't help the squeal of_ _delight that escaped her as she took it, pushing it into her hair. There was a chuckle from the guard. "Now, what do we say?"_

_"Thank you!"_

Six came and left.

In the shadows of Parts and Services, she slept.


	4. The Strings

**The Strings**

_Liza_ _ran through the halls of the restaurant. Her small body, too small to be hers, hurt with every step. She didn't want to be caught! Her hopes soared when she saw the door. She prepared to open it and escape into the cool night..._

_It slammed shut._

_"No!"_

_She struggled with it furiously, staring at the tall figure outside. Even though their face was cast in shadow, she could see his smile. "Help me!" she screamed, blinking the blood that started to roll down her face out of her eyes. But he didn't move._

_Paws grabbed her and yanked her back._ _Liza_ _turned to see who it was._

_The thing from the present box was staring down at her. It held a controller in its hands, the strings tied around her wrists. The controller disappeared into the darkness, but the strings didn't. The thing floated closer...until something dropped over her head._

_She let out a cry, trying vainly to pull it off. But her hands wouldn't move!_

Xlnv orggov lmv...

_"There. That's better."_

-_-

Liza awoke with a gasp and the distinct feeling of being watched. Oh no, what time was it-

A hand sealed itself over her mouth, stalling her gasps for air. _"Hush, Liza, you must be quiet._ " a voice said from above her. " _We don't want to draw attention_." It sounded like a young girl. But...she looked up.

The first thing she noticed was that there was a teenage girl, just sitting next to her. The second and third thing she noticed was that she wasn't sitting and she was translucent. The blonde girl was scanning the room. " _I don't think they've moved yet..._ " She looked down and they met eyes. There was a long moment where they stared at each other before she opened her mouth. " _Can you see me?_ "

Liza managed to nod without giving in to the urge to scream. The girl- el fantasma _-_ stared a moment longer before she let out a squeal. She managed to catch(?) the girl when she dove onto her, hugging Liza. " _You can see me!_ "

The woman blinked. "Um...do I know you?"

The girl leaned back, still smiling brightly. _"Nope, I died before you were born, but I've been with you for a while..."_ Well, that confirmed the ghost part.

" _Ahem_."

Liza glanced over. This time, she did scream at the sight of the present thing, just _staring_ at her. She managed to catch her breath. "I- You're _real_."

" _Yes, and so are you._ " The voice was soft and very matter-of-fact about it. It had a tinge of a Spanish accent to a voice that kinda sounded like the inside of a grandfather clock. Instead of the red chin and blue streaks, the face was painted to look more like a calavera skull. Liza let out a yelp, jumping back. It gave a surprised jerk before leaning forward, raising a hand.

" _Calm down_." the ghost girl whispered in her ear. " _Puppet just wants to help_."

" _Listen to your friend._ " The 'Puppet' gave her another look over. " _And please, Night Guard, do refrain from shouting. You do not want to give yourself a migraine._ "

"I, what-" Liza sat back down, staring at the Puppet. The hard cement grounded her into reality. She wasn't dead, she was talking to some type of puppet in a present box, and there was a ghost girl that looked vaguely familiar. Okay. She took in a breath.

" _On your tenth birthday, you suffered an accident that damaged your brain. Your brain managed to be stitched back together, but you suffer from migraines, headaches, and mood swings from the damage_." It rattled off the info like it was reading from a book. " _You take a cocktail of drugs to deal with the damage, but you are annoyed by it and try your best to ignore the pain. Foolish, but very interesting._ "

She stared. "I've lost my mind." Puppet and Ghost Girl exchanged looks as she managed a shaky laugh, fingers digging into her scarf. "Yep. I've finally lost it." It gave her a rather cold look and moved to retreat into the box. "Wha- Hey!" To her surprise, it did pause. "You...you fixed my arm." Liza groaned, trying to remember everything. It would help make this entire thing less _creepy_. "Why?"

_"You are the Night Guard."_

"That doesn't answer my question."

" _For now, it will do. I will aid you. Good night, Night Guard._ " Without another word, the Puppet disappeared into the box. The music box clicked to a stop- Liza wasn't even aware it had been playing. She stared at it.

" _I think that's all you're gonna get_." Ghost Girl whispered.

She nodded, checking her phone. 11:50.

It was time for her third shift.

-_-

"So...here's the office, I guess."

It had taken a bit of maneuvering to get the present box and the music box both here. Liza set the present on the floor with a satisfied huff and no idea what to do next. Ghost Girl was poking around, looking at everything. " _They've changed it since I was last here_ ," she said finally, settling on a cabinet.

"And that was...?" Liza tried. After a moment of thought, she picked up the box and set it on what little space there was on the desk. She collapsed into her chair with a sigh, glancing at the box. It had been an instinct to grab the present and the music box. She still had questions for the Puppet.

" _Oh, fifteen years ago_."

"Huh. Alright." Liza stared at the present on the cramped desk. Who needed that many TVs? Tomorrow night, she could come in early and try to get some order out of the mess. "So, do you have a name?"

There was a moment of silence. " _Doll_. _You can call me Doll_."

Midnight came.

On cue, her phone rang. It was her actual phone, which made her startle. She pulled it out- 5 missing messages and one voicemail. She prayed that none were from her great-uncle or, she shuddered at the thought, _Lynn_. Then she wouldn't have to worry about the animatronics. She would have to worry about a furiously worried cousin.

Thankfully, none of it was from Rafael or Lynn. They were all from Mr. Calworth- why was he calling her? She played the voicemail. _"Um...Miss Dorado, I just wanted to check in on you. The morning cleaning crew arrived this morning and said you were missing. Y-Your car was still parked outside. If you called for a ride, that's fine, but please inform us...give me a call when you can! Bye!_ " He sounded nothing like the confident man that had hired her.

"Oh my god," Liza said after a moment of silent gaping. "That cabrón thought I died!" This wasn't to check in on her, this was to cover the restaurant's ass! She immediately saved the message. By leaving the message, the restaurant was clearing any incrimination of them knowing what the hell was going on. It was like a setup. But more a 'just in case set-up' than anything else. This stroked the unfamiliar flames of annoyance in her. Crap, had she taken her medicine?

Her thoughts immediately derailed from her expensive meds to the issue of _staying alive_ when she checked the tablet and saw everyone had immediately left the stage. "Think they remember last night?" she asked Doll and the present. Neither answered. "That's what I thought," she said with a little nod.

It was hardly a minute later before Liza had to throw herself across the office to grab the remote and slam the east hall door on Rex. She let out a sigh of relief. "Too close." she sighed.

Of course, that was when the night decided to turn itself on its head.

"CLOSE! I'll show you close, stupid meat sack!" The voice was electronic and male and very annoyed. None of the character was taken away by its muffled tone. "Open up!" Liza gaped through the door window at Rex, the remote clattering out of her hand. "You're not playing fair!" he yelled.

"And you're not supposed to TALK!" She screeched, immediately backing up. Rex cocked his head, white and neon green fur shifting to the side, in confusion at the answer instead of the usual screaming. Liza backpedaled quickly, bumping into something. She nearly shot back into the office but was stopped by a paw covered in lavender and orange fur. It was very large and very frightening. She bit down on the inside of her cheek to stop herself from screaming and drawing everyone else in the office.

"Kitty!" Rex whined. "Open the door on my side!" He whined until Kitty-Cat could grab the remote and open the door. It took some maneuvering but she managed, yanking Liza out of the seat and into her arms.

"Better, Rex?" she said sweetly.

"Much better!" He swaggered into the office, grinning at the squirming and screechy Liza.

Until she kicked out during her squirming, hitting him right in the chin. Rex let out a rather dog-like yelp, stumbling back and holding his chin as if he was in pain. Liza had a brief moment of satisfaction until the world turned upside down and her glasses fell off, Kitty now holding her by an ankle. "Are you okay?!" the cat asked, ignoring the human's pleas to be put down.

"Oh, you are so gonna get it-"

"Bajame-!"

"Ye didn't check Treasure Cavern, landlubber, now you must-"

"Dios mío," Liza said into her hands. "Es una fiesta."

Captain Bun screeched to a stop at the sight of the group. "Aw, ye got her already!" Her ears flattened against her head. "Shame. I wanted the honors meself." She cocked her head when she noticed Rex still rubbing his jaw. "What's with ye?"

"She _kicked_ me." he groaned, sounding very much like a grumpy teenager.

"She did, so Rex deserves the honors!" Kitty said. "Anyway, it's finders stuffers."

"Finders keepers," Liza said in English, deciding to save her energy as she dangled. "It's _finders keepers._ "

"It's the same thing," Kitty said with a too-human shrug. Rex sniggered.

"Dios mío," Liza repeated, burying her face back in her hands. Sure, it was childish, but she deserved it, maldita sea. Heck, she would probably blow a raspberry at these cabróns before being stuffed. Because of her state of bemoaning her fate, she didn't notice Bun notice the present box.

"...Hold yer fire there, Kitpup."

"Why?!"

"What's wrong, Bun?"

Liza looked up from her hands when she felt Kitty's grip loosen. The pirate was pointing to the present box. Despite the eyes staring at it, it looked nothing more than a gift. It looked like taking it with her was a good idea.

"What? Wait, _she_ found _it_?!" Kitty's voice was a tad bit higher as she dropped Liza. She let out a grunt when her head hit the floor. She grabbed her fallen glasses, shoving them on as she scrambled into her chair. She couldn't get past them to escape, so Liza settled for gripping the back of the chair and keeping it between her and these characters.

"It's probably a mistake like last time!" Rex said, reaching for Liza. "We'll just deal with her now and save Puppet the trouble-" He froze when the music box started to play. It was still twinkling, but the notes were sharp and warning. The dog drew back, properly chastised.

"Well..." Bun said, examining Liza with her eyes. "Ted isn't going to like this."

Liza couldn't help but agree.


	5. Pass the Tests

**Pass the Tests**

They waited for Ted.

Out in the hall, Liza could hear the animatronics eagerly talking among themselves. It was clear the trio was friends. She probably could've rolled her chair over to eavesdrop and see if she could make out some kind of pecking order or personalities or _anything_ that could help her. (Besides Rex stealing her hat for no clear reason?) Instead, she sat frozen in her chair, the back of her chair between her and the door. The ghost girl (Doll?) was seated on top of the cabinet, watching Liza and the present box. Together, they listened as the heavy footsteps drew closer.

Then Ted Bear himself was in the doorway and Liza stifled a scream.

He was the one who was in the best condition. _Of course, he is_ , her mind whispered. _He's the brand face_. Her scars started to ache as her fingers clenched the back of the chair. Her eyes lingered too long on the cruel brown ones aimed at her before golden eyes lowered in submission. They moved to her current protector, the Puppet in the box. Ted growled.

The others respectfully moved back so he was the only one in the doorway. They hung back as silent support behind him.

And all Liza had was a ghost girl and a tiny puppet in a cardboard box.

Dios mios, she was so _screwed_.

Ted took a step forward, jabbing a short paw-like finger. " _You._ " Liza squeaked. "I've been sick and tired of your idiocy, _sweetheart_ ," The pet name was spat out like poison. "Been _sick_ of you giving us trouble since the first night. I'm not made for running," As he talked, she noticed there was a slight up and down motion to his fake fur, like he was panting. There was a winded note to his voice, she noticed in the way all trapped people did. It also looked like he couldn't raise his left arm correctly. Liza was no genius. But she had been raised by the man who created these animatronics and she had done some mechanical tampering through the years.

Up close, she could also see the cosmetic damage on Ted.

She had to wonder if it hurt.

Ted's rant was broken by a soft "Ted." from Kitty. The bear spared a glance over his shoulder at the cat, much kinder and warmer than his glare at the night guard. "Look." She pointed to the present on the desk. The bear followed her point.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There was no twinkling music from the music box and the bow didn't so much as give a shudder. There didn't seem to be a need for it. Ted stared at it. The anger slid from shock back to greater anger and a bit of _hurt_. "Her?! Out of everyone, _her!?"_

"Excuse me?!"

Ted gritted his teeth. Liza wisely closed her mouth. She resisted the childish urge to squeeze her eyes in hopes that the nightmare would go away.

"What do we do?" Rex whispered. He was peeking out from behind Bun, who was staring at Liza. It looked like the pirate was examining her, especially focused on her scarf. Liza risked a quick look back. Doll had moved to be behind her, watching the proceedings with curious eyes.

"What _can_ we do?" The captain said when it seemed like Ted wasn't going to speak. "There's no other choice. We've tried to reason, but it's not having any of it. Haven't seen it like this in ages, since...you know. _The other one._ " All eyes turned to Bun and Liza felt what little remained of her patience snap.

"Reasoning?! You tried- no you did not!" All eyes returned to her, but the tidal wave of anger consuming her helped her ignore that as she scrambled off the chair. "You were going to kill me anyway until the puppet-guy-thing whatever," She jabbed a finger at the box. " _Stopped_ you! That's not reasoning! You were going to ignore it!"

"She even understands us now...!" Rex groaned like the situation was an unfortunate burden the animatronics had to deal with. Or _they_ were the victims of some great tragedy. Whatever it was, it stoked the flames of her anger.

"Watch your mouth, swabbie." Bun hissed at Liza, eye plates downwards to give her a glare.

"N-No!" God, where was _this_ coming from?

" _Liza_." Doll said gently. When she glanced back, she had a mask of calm on. " _Calm_ down."

"I said NO!" She stomped her foot, feeling like a toddler having a tantrum. The animatronics could still kill her- Puppet was only three feet to their hulking masses. Liza grabbed the present box and hugged it to her chest. If this was her only shield, she had the right to hold it! Everyone went silent, staring at the box like they expected the Puppet to rise out and deal with her itself.

It did not.

Liza breathed in and out, trying to gain control of her temper . "I-I have ev-every right to t-talk! You guys, for two nights, have been trying to stuff me in a suit! I'm not an endoskeleton, which should be obvious to you if your AI is this advanced!" Crap, she felt tears prick at her eyes. "I'm not even metal!" _Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry_! "I mean, what kind of Hell is this place?!"

Rex cackled, the odd man out to the others' frowns. "Be it ever so humble, home is home."

"We don't appreciate that kind of language, Miss..." Ted paused, clearly not sure of her name.

"Dorado. Liza Dorado."

Ted paused. There was a moment of silence where he just _stared_ at her. It almost felt like he was stunned. Liza shifted awkwardly but before she could muster the will to ask if he was alright, he continued. "Dorado. We are a family-friendly establishment."

"Yeah, you better keep your language squeaky clean or you'll face the _jar_!" Bun said with a wave of a hook.

"The jar?" A moment passed before realization struck. Liza blinked. "You...have a swear jar."

"It's mostly for the summer workers." Kitty huffed, crossing her arms. "Those teenagers have such an attitude sometimes!"

She nodded faintly, still gaping at the new knowledge. "Okay...makes sense." It was kinda charming if this was literally anywhere else.

"And if you don't have money for the jar," Rex continued, his malicious grin returning. "Ted'll chase you down and wash your mouth out with soap!"

"Geez, either getting my mouth washed out with soap for some salty language or being _brutally maimed for existing,_ I wonder which one's worse?" Behind her, Liza could hear Doll stifle laughter. The sound was a bit of a confidence boost to her sleep deprivation-caused sass.

Bun snarled, and the confidence disappeared. "Don't be mistaking our tone, swabbie. There's still a black mark on you. You could still be strung up and stuffed _if you fail the tests_."

"Wha- Tests?! But I already got the job! I already got the job!" She aimed the last one at the box. Maybe when the bots left, she could try and wheedle information out of the Puppet. 'Tests' made it sound like it was holding something out on her.

"You're not out of the woods yet, Dorado." Ted snarled. He turned and stomped out of the room, the others making a path for him. Liza stared at his retreat before realizing that the others were staring too.

"I've never seen him like this before," Kitty whispered. "Do you think he'll be okay? I mean, this has happened before, but-"

"Aw, don't worry sis!" Rex patted the cat on the shoulder. "Ted'll come around. It's not like we don't know what to do if _Liza_ here fails." Despite the cheerful tone, the dog still snarled at the human. Liza frowned, grabbing the remote to press the button for that door. "Wha- Hey!"

"It's Elizabeth. Liza's a nickname." she shot as the door went down slowly. "And I want my hat back-!" Before the door finally settled, the hat smacked her in the face. "Gracias." She waited at the door, listening as the group whispered amongst themselves before hearing their footsteps walk away.

She let out a gasp, collapsing in her chair and dropping her recovered hat. Her world still hadn't righted itself, but it was getting easier to swallow. Questions chased themselves around and around as she set the box on the desk and grabbed the tablet. Doll settled in her lap, looking cool and collected. Liza absently did her best to stroke her hair, staring at the box. How much trouble was she in because of its inaction?

The lid moved back, revealing the Puppet. It rose until it and her face were level. " _That went...well._ " The whisper came from between her ears. It was an odd feeling, but Liza held back her shudders.

"I'd hate to see what poorly is," Liza said, shifting to get comfortable. Doll had no weight, but the cold feeling she brought sent pin and needles through her legs. When she looked up, Puppet was shaking its head.

 _"Do not take their retreat so lightly. They are upset by my decision- I do not blame them. Ted, most of all."_ It gave a hum of thought. _"Give them time. It'll change."_ The porcelain face moved, taking in the cramped security room with what looked like interest. _"Things always change with time, Night Guard."_

"You keep calling me that," Liza noted. "I...have a name, you know."

A blank stare met her words. _"No. This is your job."_ The Puppet leaned forward, eerily close. It was close enough that she could've heard the bot's inner workings.

There was nothing but silence.

 _"I will call you as you are. You will remain this way until you die, or_ otherwise _."_

"Otherwise?"

 _"Each night guard was similarly considered. All of them were flawed. I allowed the animatronics to...dispose...of them."_ The Puppet leaned back in its box. _"It was kind to them."_

Logically, it was best to stay on the good side of the thing keeping her from a suit. But Liza was not known for logic unless it involved machines. Rafael said it was one of her most charming qualities, combined with her bravery. But she didn't feel very brave.

She felt like she was going to throw up.

"Wha-What do you mean- you let the others dispose of them? How- they were humans!" Distantly, she noticed Doll turn more see-through like she was paling.

 _"No. They were adults."_ The Puppet spoke like she was a very small child, making her bristle. There was a frantic whisper in her head to stop arguing with whatever this thing was. It reeked of power. Every action it did carried weight.

But she ignored the voice.

"Yeah, and that meant they were kids once too! I mean, what _chévere_ man?! Where were you the first night? Why am I the golden girl all of a sudden?!" The anger that consumed her while talking to the bots came back, full of righteous fury for herself and the others before her. "What about the phone guy?! It sounded like he loved this place much more than I did!"

 _"This is not about_ love _, Night Guard."_ The Puppet's voice was low, sending her spine through ice. _"This is about_ justice."

"Justice? On what?"

Her question was waved away with a careless flip of a hand. _"Do not concern yourself with the details yet. Right now, it should be on creating and maintaining a positive working relationship with the others. Their aid will be invaluable if you can sway them."_

Liza sputtered. "Wa- You mean, play nice?! No way!" Despite her fear, she flipped the tablet closed without checking and shoved it on the desk. She crossed her arms.

 _"Alright. But know that my protection will be revoked and you will be disposed of."_ She stared. The Puppet continued, as if it was ordering something off the menu instead laying out the terms of her death. " _Believe me, familial relationship or not, protecting this place is my first priority. I do not care that you're a Dorado, you're still in the way. The only thing_ that _even changes is that your death will be quick and painless. But you will still be dead._ "

Liza stared.

 _"Better to just agree."_ Doll whispered.

"...This is blackmail."

_"This is business."_

This time, she shuddered. What did she have to lose? A lot, apparently. For now, to stay alive, she had to make undesirable choices. She sighed, making a mental note to demand a raise. "Alright." She held her hand out. For a moment, the two stared at each other. "Um...dude?"

_"Yes, that is your hand."_

"No, um...I figured that we would shake on it? You know, like making a deal. You keep me from a suit, I'll play nice?"

_"Shake...on it?"_

Okay, this was weirdly cute.

Liza resisted the urge to grin. "People do it when they're making a deal or a promise. You give me your hand and we'll make a promise. Like, I promise _I'll_ play nice with the killer bots and you promise that _you'll_ keep me from being murdered." After a long moment, the Puppet mimicked Liza. They shook hands.

The Puppet seemed lost in thought when they finished, withdrawing into the box without another word. Though it did give Liza a strange, completive look before the lid closed and the music box started to play. It played the twinkling notes of the family lullaby softly for a few seconds before finally stopping.

"That was...weird," Liza said finally.

Doll shrugged. " _It's old_." She said this like it was some type of explanation.

Even if it was old, who didn't know how to shake hands?

That was such a little kid thing.

She waited in the office, making an absent note to start taking notes. Any bit of information could be useful to keep her ass from a suit. When six AM finally came, she walked slowly out, Doll trailing behind. In the main dining hall, she couldn't resist giving the bots on-stage the finger.

"See you tonight," she grumbled out.


	6. Of Old Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liza watches some home videos with Little Liza.

**Of Old Memories and Spooks**

Instead of going to her apartment and to bed, Liza found herself breaking into Tio Rafael's house.

Well, she technically wasn't breaking in. When she moved out, she had been given a key and an open invitation to come in whenever. But nobody was home. Rafael had texted her to let her know that he was taking advantage of the sunshine and summer heat of the day to take all the kids to the pool. Liza closed the door behind her and immediately headed to the door she knew was in the ceiling, ignoring the ghost that followed her.

The door pulled down with a few easy tugs, a ladder leading up to darkness. She paused, staring up at the darkness.

" _What's wrong?_ "

"Um...it's just dark. That's all." Her job was bringing back her old phobia of the dark that she had formed at ten and managed to grow out of by fifteen. Liza gathered her strength and clambered up. She knew it was here somewhere, but...

She found it.

A large cardboard box, _Liza_ _and Ted Bear's Pizza_ written in neat cursive on the side, sat there. She grabbed it and clambered back down. From what she knew, most of her childhood had been spent at the place before her accident. Maybe the videos would explain why Ted looked surprised at her name, or even give some sort of hint of what the Puppet expected from her exactly.

Liza pushed the ladder back up to the ceiling and turned, prepared to start watching some cringe- "Liza?"

"Marisol?" She said, explanations welling up for the ghost gripping her shoulder and watching her cousin. She didn't say any of those explanations. Instead, she gave a rushed "Why are you here?"

"I left my purse here." her prima said, seeming to not even notice Doll. Did she not see her? It looked like the animatronics had. "Why are you here?" Liza held up the box as an explanation. "Ted Bear's? Why?"

"I...saw an ad. For it."

Marisol raised a brow. "Really?"

Liza nodded, willing her to believe the half-assed lie. "Yeah. Kinda got curious and decided to see if I could jolt anything."

"I'll watch with you!"

So that was how Liza found herself loading the first tape she found in while Marisol was popping popcorn. "Okay, so that place was always weird." Her cousin said as she entered with a bowl full of butter popcorn. The two sat down, Doll settling in between them. Goosebumps settled over Liza's skin and she saw Marisol shiver. "Sheesh, tio needs to turn down the AC if he doesn't want the bills to rack up. Anyway, I always thought it was okay, although it freaks Candela out. You on the other hand..." A fine smile formed on Marisol's face. "You loved that place. I guess that's why Tio Vincent always babysat you when he ran the place."

Yeah, no. "He babysat me because he thought I made a good replacement for his dead kids."

There was a wince. "Well, yeah. There's _that_."

The tape loaded in and Liza clicked PLAY.

It opened to show a young Liza, staring shyly at the floor. If she had to guess, she was around eight in this video. There was a chuckle from behind the camera. " _Liza's a little shy to show her friends her new glasses._ " Liza resisted a start at her mother's voice. " _Liza, can you look up,_ _amor_?" Little Liza looked up, revealing the big frames that sat on her face, making her look like an owl. Liza pushed back her guess- six years old. At her mother's chuckle, her stare returned to the floor.

A familiar music box started to play out of sight and her knuckles went white from where she gripped the armrest. " _Mrs. Dorado!_ " a male voice said from out of sight and she froze.

That was Phone Guy.

The camera moved away from Little Liza to show Ted walking next to a man. The man's dark hair was greying, but his grey eyes and his smile were vibrant. " _Hola_ , _Ted and_ _Elijah_!" her mother said. " _Liza has something to show you!_ " There was a squeak from where Little Liza must've been standing.

" _Oh, really?_ " Ted said, sounding rather pleased.

The camera took a few steps back, revealing Little Liza was staring very hard at the floor, hair hiding her face. Elijah knelt. " _Do you have something to show us, Little Bird?_ " he said gently. After a few moments, she looked up. " _Oh my- YOU LOOK SO ADORABLE!_ " He scooped her up to turn and show her to Ted. " _Look at her little glasses! Doesn't she look so cute!?_ "

" _She certainly does_." Liza watched as Ted gently took Little Liza from Elijah's hold. " _Aw, look at you. All cute and tiny._ " She could feel her ears heat up as he continued to compliment her, Elijah hiding his chuckles when Little Liza finally buried her face in her hands.

There was a chuckle from behind the camera. _"Okay, okay, Ted, don't break my kid."_ The camera approached and then shifted to show Socorro Ramiez-Dorado pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead. " _Love you,_ _amor_. _Daddy should pick you up in a few hours,_ _si_?" The little girl nodded. The camera cut out on the image of Ted walking away with Little Liza.

"Huh...that was cute," Marisol said to break the silence. "What did you think Liza?" There was nothing. "Liza?"

Liza was hiding her face.

"Still weak to compliments, I see."

-_-

It was 10:30 when Liza remembered that she had to check in on Mr. Calworth.

She had gone through most of the videos- enough to note that although the animatronics showed up, and seemed to be friendliest to kids, Ted showed up the most. Then the kids and Rafael had returned home and she had been dragged into eating dinner with them. Doll had sat on the counter, watching the family with a driftless smile.

At least that would be a good laugh—scare the guy who was trying to cover up her murder in a family that already had too much death in its history. So Liza grabbed her keys, promised Rafael she would drop by to get the leftovers later, and headed out into the night. She immediately headed into the restaurant when she arrived.

Mr. Calworth looked older as he sat in a booth next to the kitchen. For a moment, she felt bad for what she was about to do.

One glance towards the office and that evaporated.

"Hey."

She kept her tone loud and stood directly behind the manager, feeling sick pleasure rise up when the man didn't yell but did jump. The cleaning crew didn't jump either as they filed past her, cleaning half-assed. "Ah, Miss Dorado!" Calworth said, turning with a nervous grin. "You're here!"

 _And alive_ was the unspoken word.

"Yep. Even put in some overtime," she said calmly.

"I hope you don't expect to be paid from that," he said. He shrank in his place when she glared. "Well, if you got this place handled...I'll be leaving!" He brushed past Liza, mumbling something about "close the damn place already..."

"Yeah, there's no way Mr. Andrews would close this place," Liza said to nobody in particular. She looked around, wincing at all the visible mess. She had time, she could clean up a bit more. She walked out of the room to find the cleaning supplies, aware of Doll following but unaware of the annoyed eyes tracking her movement.

It was where his daughter had died after all.


	7. Of Hallucinations and Pirate Rabbits

**Of Hallucinations and Pirate Rabbits**

"Hey, do you know a six-letter word that means to feel a longing for someone, that has two e's?"

" _Try desire._ "

"Thank you..."

It was 1 am and the job had taken a completely different turn. At least when Liza had been hunted, the time had gone faster. She was busying herself with a crossword she had brought, while Doll was reading a book from...she didn't know. Some kind of ghost Hammerspace?

Honestly, Liza wasn't sure if she _wanted_ to know.

A few music notes twinkled and she looked up to see the Puppet peeking out. Its eyes were fixated on the book in Liza's hands. " _Is_ _that...a_ _crossword puzzle?"_

"Uh, yeah." Her eyes darted around, looking for some clue to help her. Doll didn't look up to give some sort of clue- very helpful. "I figured that I should give everyone some space before trying to be buddy-buddy." Its eyes were firm on the crossword. She held it out after a moment. "...You want it?"

" _Yes! It has been some time since I've done a crossword._ " For a minute, the Puppet sounded very much like a little kid as it took the puzzle and the pencil. " _Gracias!_ " Without further ado, it set to work. Liza couldn't help but stare as she struggled for a moment to try and find something to say, feeling a little bit jealous at the quick speed it was doing that page.

"So, you like crosswords?"

" _And those little 1000 piece puzzles. But I am most fond of sewing._ "

Fast or not, it was still rather cute. Liza folded her arms on the desk and sat her chin on them, watching.

-_-

_**Coward.** _

Whenever Ted locked himself in the bathroom to clean, the others knew to leave him alone. He furiously scrubbed at a spot on the floor, refusing to look at the mirror. Usually, Rebecca was the one to harass him. But...this was much worse.

**_Do you hear me, Theodore?_ ** **Coward** **_._ **

Liza was still in her office. She seemed to be giving them space tonight. Which- he still didn't like the idea of an _adult_ solving their problems- he couldn't help but feel better for. It meant he didn't have to see her.

**_Aw, don't want her to see this? I mean, I don't blame you, but_ ** **still** **_..._ **

"Oh, dear Lord." Ted threw aside his mop to turn and glare at the bathroom's mirror. "What do you _want_?"

Instead of his reflection, 10-year-old Liza smirked back. He wasn't sure why he saw this- he hadn't even see Liza in the hospital, wearing those yellow polka-dot pajamas with bandages wrapped around her forehead. One eye was covered. But she was there, along with the blood staining her chin and the yellow of her pajamas.

She smirked at him, her teeth reddened, as she appeared to fold her arms on the mirror's edge. _**Eh, what does every little bird want?**_ Without waiting for an answer, she responded. _**To bleed out.**_

"That's not funny."

Robots couldn't even get hallucinations!

_**I'm not being paid to be funny.** _

Ted opened his mouth to respond when he heard a loud _CLANG_ from outside, followed by an " _OW, F-!_ "

He turned from the hallucination to yell "LANGUAGE!"

-_-

Liza slapped a hand over her hand, wincing at the throbbing from her foot. She didn't carry spare change with her. And she had just about enough of Ted chasing her for a lifetime. 

After a good minute of watching Puppet do her crossword and being bored out of her skull, she had remembered that she wanted to clear some space out in the office. After some inspection, she had found that almost all the monitors and TVs cluttering the desk were unplugged and useless. Underneath the desk was the old computers, which were just as useless.

From what she could remember, there was a garbage bin outside around back. Unfortunately, they were old, and old meant insanely heavy. This meant that, in a pitiful attempt to use muscles she didn't have, Liza ended up dropping one of the said monitors on her foot.

There was a snicker from Doll. " _You know, you're supposed to carry the monitor, right?_ "

Taking in the Puppet's clear preference of children and the swear jar threat, Liza probably wouldn't get away with telling Doll to screw off. (Even though there was evidence to suggest that Doll was older than her.) So, instead, she glared and hoped the ghost noticed as she thought of a plan.

In the end, she stacked some of the monitors and computers in her chair and pushed it down the hall. She left the Puppet with its crossword, absently noting that Doll was following, still reading her book. Did she have to stay a certain limit?

It was slow going, again due to Liza's lack of muscle. Finally, she was passing Treasure Cavern, where she stopped when she heard grumpy muttering behind the sea blue curtains. It _sounded_ like stifled cursing, and she nearly warned 'swear jar' into the gloom, but thought better of it. A thud followed and she sucked it up.

"Bun?" she tried nervously, biting her lip. "A-Are...are you okay?" Hopefully, the pirate wouldn't notice the nerves. Her knuckles went white when the curtain was shoved open.

"No, it's not!" She snapped, looking rather angry.

Liza licked her lips before asking. "Is there... anyway I can help? That doesn't involve me getting any bodily harm?"

"Not unless ye know how to get me ole ship back!"

Without another word, Bun disappeared. Liza stared at the tone. She knew that tone- it was mixed up hurt and anger, the way everyone had acted after her accident and the doctors revealed her amnesia. The tone made her grit her teeth, but she continued. She had agreed to play nice. "Can I come in and take a look? Please?"

There was a grunt, and Liza decided to take that as a _whatever_.

She slipped inside and nearly tripped over a box. "Is there a light?" she asked, gripping the curtain.

"Bulbs blew out years ago, girlie."

She thought this over before snapping her fingers. "I found some spares in the office! Hang on, be right back!" She hurried out without another word, ignoring Doll's yelp at the sudden speed. Liza soon returned with the box of bulbs and a flashlight. She looked up from the instructions at the growl Bun let out. She immediately held her hands up in the gesture of surrender before she realized that she was glaring at the flashlight.

"Do...you want to hold it?" She asked, holding out the flashlight. Bun's glare turned towards her and it took every bit of Liza's strength to not flinch when it was snatched away. The light turned to the lights and she quickly scrambled to do the task before Bun could get even madder. (Although, she seemed more _edgy_ then _mad_.)

When the bulbs were all in, Liza flicked the light switch she found. The lights came on, casting a dim light in the large space. She ignored Bun tossing the flashlight out, focusing instead on how she grumbled out "Thanks."

"So, what's this about an old ship?" She asked, looking around. There were boxes stacked everywhere, but she could see wave props and the ship. The pirate ship was another wooden prop. "This ship looks fine." Curious, she ran her hand across the ship. Her hand came back grey. "It's just a little dusty."

She yelped when she was whirled around so Bun could hold her by the shoulders and give her a shake. "The cannons are supposed to come out and the sound effects don't work! This _Queen_ _Bunny's_ _Revenge_ looks like a wreck from Davy Jones' locker!"

"Well," Liza said, trying not to giggle as she pried herself loose. "I'll take another look?"

Stacking a few boxes up so she could clamber on the other side, Liza looked around. The cannons were plastic models, stacked on boxes. Otherwise, there was nothing. "Well, no wonder!" she said when she found the problem. "Mice have gotten back here! Sheesh, Tio Rafael would have an absolute fit if he saw this."

"What?"

Liza scrambled back over. "The _Queen_ _Bunny's_ _Revenge_ isn't broken, Captain." She made a mental note at how the title made Bun stand a little taller. "I can replace the wires and the ropes, but I'll have to turn it off at night. Okay?"

Bun nodded, looking rather happy. She stopped suddenly, frowning. "What'll be in it for _you_ , night guard?"

"Nothing. I just need something to do. Otherwise, I'm going to start losing it." Liza slipped out, setting to work on pushing the chair. "Just let me take this stuff to the dumpster." Her boots let out a squeak as she managed to push it an inch. Bun growled after a minute of pushing and squeaking.

"Move aside, lass." She did, watching the rabbit start pushing. She did it with no effort. It was clear that besides the advanced AI, these animatronics were much stronger than what children entertainers' should be. "Ye have no muscle, ye would be thrown overboard on the high seas!"

Liza blinked before smiling as she followed.


	8. Lights Out

**Lights Out**

"Aaaand done!"

Liza stepped back from the speakers, grinning proudly. She and Bun watched as she flicked the switch. Treasure Cove _erupted_ in sound. " _Yar har har! Welcome crew, to Captain Bun's Treasure Cove! Load your token in and let the adventure begin!_ " She chuckled at the recorded voice lines, watching Bun grin.

It was the second night of Liza's new project. After she finished cleaning up the office with Bun's help, she had set to work. "Okay, stripped wires are fixed..." Liza said, checking that off her list as she turned it off. She grunted when her scarf fell in her face- she hated this scarf, it always came undone too easily. "I'll have to stop by the hardware store to see if I can find some better rope." She finished redoing her scarf to make a grabby motion. "Hand me that broom, will ya?"

Bun handed over the broom. "What are ye gonna do, lass?"

"Sweep! It's really dusty in here." True to her word, Liza started sweeping. "I mean, does the cleaning crew even clean? This whole place looks..." She looked around, trying to find a word that wasn't insulting to the animatronics.

"Nothing like how it used to?" She nodded. The depressed tone was back in Bun. "Aye, I know what you mean lass." The rabbit sat on a nearby box. "I remember how it used to be. Children would come, laughing and playing. They would win tokens while enjoying their food and listening to the Captain and Kitpup. It was bright and it was beautiful."

Liza had stopped sweeping. "I wish I could remember it."

"Ye don't?"

She shook her head. "The first thing I remember...is waking up in the hospital. The doctors told me I have retrograde amnesia." She didn't notice Doll wince.

"Wha?"

"Memory loss caused by an injury. They told me I was in a really bad accident- they had to sew parts of my brain back into my head and replace part of my skull with this fake skull stuff. There was also a bit of a brain bleed..." Liza made a face at the dust pile she had made. "Seriously, have they never cleaned here-?"

The lights went out.

"The ovens!" Kitty yelled from the kitchen. 

"NOT US! I don't think..." Liza grumbled, trying to stumble out of Treasure Trove. She heard Bun move before a fake fur-covered hand wrapped around her wrist. If she focused, she could feel the metal under it. She made a conscious effort to not focus on that. Bun led her down the hallway, opening a door.

Her eyes had adjusted enough to see Kitty pulling what looked like a pizza out of an oven that was still glowing. Liza looked around, wondering if she would hear the lullaby...she shook her head. No. Because of Puppet, Ted couldn't hunt her down.

"-the generators."

She blinked at Kitty's voice. "What? Sorry, just trying to get my bearings." Liza attempted a sheepish grin before something plastic was stuffed in her hand. She turned on the flashlight, making sure to shine it on the floor.

"I need you to turn the generators back on," Kitty repeated slowly as if talking to a small child. She gestured to the pizzas. "Bun will help me with this." The rabbit nodded.

The generators, right. "Those would be..." Liza asked with a tiny wince. " _Where_ exactly?" Something niggled at her brain, saying _You know this_.

"Oh, sorry! They're on the south side of the building. You can get to them by leaving the back way I think? We're not allowed outside, and I really don't want to upset Ted more than he already is." Kitty winced, matching her own.

Was this a trap?

It felt like a trap.

"...so I can leave? It's okay?"

"Yep!" Kitty chirped, turning to her ovens as Liza headed out of the kitchen. " _As long as you come back._ " Liza paled at the tone, speeding up. "Be careful!" she heard before the kitchen doors shut. She sounded friendly, so she decided to leave that alone.

Liza opened and closed the door behind her, humming the lullaby absentmindedly. The flashlight bobbed in front of her as she walked. She turned the corner, training the light on the wall. She could see that the light outside was still on, so there must've been another circuit box for outside lighting. But why just the front?

Something clicked.

She froze, feeling Doll's fingers clench on her shoulders.

There was nothing but silence as she stood there. The crescent moon shone down on her while crickets chirped. She could see fireflies dancing around. While the flashlight was helpful, it just cast shadows and shapes of the thin forest sitting on the edge of the back parking lot. Nothing but underbrush and trees.

There was another noise and Liza ran.

By the time she stumbled across the fenced area, her feet hurt and any other noise was drowned out by the blood rush in her ears. The door was open. Annoyance washed out the fear when Liza realized why she lost power so fast.

There was a gauge.

"You aren't supposed to be here," Liza said to it as she started poking. Sure, it could save a few pennies, but it also seriously messed with the restaurant's electricity. She could remember Rafael raging whenever he found something like this on his latest repair project. She ended up wedging the flashlight in her shoulder to stick her arm half under the generator, but she flipped a switch. She was awarded a crunch of machinery as it rumbled to life. She unlatched the timer, examining it in curiosity. She ended up sticking it in her pocket- it looked homemade. She was honestly curious about why it was made and how it worked.

She headed up to the side door, intent on saving time. She regretted it when she heard another noise. It sounded closer this time. She paused in the doorway, taking a breath and turning to the night's darkness. "Hello?" She called out, wincing at her volume as Doll gripped her shoulders tight. "Is...there someone there?"

"Who are you talking to?"

Liza let out a shriek, swinging out. Rex dodged easily, grabbing her collar and hauling her into the safety of the restaurant in one smooth motion. His brow raised as she peered outside. After a minute of silence, she straightened. "Did you hear something outside?" she asked.

"Other than you sulking around? Not a thing."

"I wasn't sulking around, I was turning the power on." she snapped. "You're welcome."

"I didn't ask you to turn on the power, Elizabeth," Rex said. She glared at him, but the motion was half-hearted. "You seem jumpy."

There was a testy "I'm _fine_." Liza stuck her hands in her pockets for something to do with her hands. She probably needed to take another pill soon- her thoughts veered off when her hand brushed against something. "Actually, one more question." She pulled out the gauge, showing it to the dog. "This look familiar?"

"Uh...no. What is it?" Rex was telling the truth- he sounded confused.

"It's a gauge," Liza said, sticking it back in her pocket. "It cuts off the power to whatever it's hooked onto. It was set up to run from midnight to 6." She started walking to the kitchen, intent on telling Kitty she could use the oven again.

The dog followed, staring at her with narrowed eyes. "That's why this place runs out of power at night? Ted said it was because the pizzeria needed to save money."

Liza shook her head. "What it does is seriously mess with the restaurant's electricity and make us miserable."

" _It wastes money,_ " Doll said with a nod. " _I remember...someone telling the construction company to not do something like that._ "

"Yeah, exactly!"

Rex let out some type of hiss. "Kitty's gonna have a fit. She hates not being able to bake. You should tell Ted."

She screeched to a stop. "W-What?"

"He's the boss. He should know somebody's been rigging stuff around here." She felt sweat roll down as she tried to give some excuse so she didn't have to talk to the animatronic who would take any excuse he had to stuff her... "Are you _scared_?"

Liza felt her hackles rise. "No! Look, I'll tell him tomorrow. I wanna take a look at this, see what I can find out!" She said when a frown appeared on Rex's face. "It looks homemade, so someone went to the trouble of making this!"

"Oh, you're scared."

"I am not! Look, I'm not trying to keep stuff from him-"

"What makes you think I won't tell him? In fact, I'll bet he'll be even more annoyed when _I_ had to tell him."

Liza opened her mouth. She stopped when she recognized the tone. She sighed, staring at the ceiling and mentally wondering _why me?_ "What do you want?" There was a chuckle and Rex nodded in a gesture that said: "Follow me."

She followed him, stiffening when they entered the dining hall. There was no sign of Ted, which made her relax. The dog made a beeline for Kitty's guitar, sitting on-stage and waiting for its owner. "You sound pretty competent with electronic stuff, right? At least, you didn't screw up with the generator. I guess you can't be too useless."

"Geez, thanks," Liza said with a roll of her eyes. She stopped when she took in the clearly broken lavender guitar. "What did Kitty _do?_ "

"It wasn't her, it was some clueless cleaner." Rex held it out. "Tech doesn't work on us, so she can't get it fixed. You fix it and I won't tattle to Ted." Liza took it, considering the damage. Both age and the incident had caused clear damage.

"Deal."

"Good girl."

Liza rolled her eyes. She ignored the sarcasm to instead focus on the bigger issue. "Seriously, they don't work on you at all?" Rex winced, giving her his answer. 

She only had the tools she could scrounge up. Rex was was surprisingly helpful, running to get the tools she needed. His clear desire to help his twin was a little refreshing. Liza couldn't help but wonder why the twins didn't act like this. The guitar was oversized for Kitty, meaning she didn't need any fine tools. Doll draped herself over Rex as they watched her in the working groove.

Half the issue was some pressure points where the guitar had been smashed. She would need to find a new casing. But, she told Rex, if Kitty was careful and didn't put too much pressure on certain areas, it would hold up. He nodded eagerly and she couldn't resist a smile at the cuteness.

"Kitty really needs to clean this more," she said when she took a rag to the inside. Much like when she swept Treasure Trove, she made a face at the dust she pulled out.

"She does!"

"The _inside_."

His ears flattened against his head. "Oh."

"But if nobody's working on you, I guess you guys won't know how to take care of your instruments." Tio Rafael was going to throw a fit six ways from Sunday when she told him. "I'll leave Kitty with some cleaning stuff. Tell her that if she keeps the dust out of here, it'll last longer!"

"Okay!"

Finally, she sighed. "Done!" Rex took it, batting Doll out of his lap, and played a few notes. Liza let out a weary smile at the noise, stretching in her spot. She froze when she heard music coming from down the hall. 

"What are you still doing here?"

Liza scrambled to her feet when she saw Ted glaring at her. "I don't, it's only-" Exhaustion made her trip over her tongue. She glanced at the clock and paled, suddenly much more awake. " _It's seven?!_ "

"Go on and get!"

"I'm going, I'm-" She fell with a grunt. Sitting up, Liza glanced behind her.

"Well?" The bear demanded.

"I'm stuck," she said, a little too calmly for the present situation. Ted took a look. The edge of her scarf had started to get loose and had gotten stuck under a floorboard that had been sticking up for ages. Liza stood and grabbed her scarf to try and yank it free.

"Just take off the scarf!"

"No!"

"Maybe you should just-" Rex said, moving to help her.

A tad bit of hysteria struck her. "I said NO!" she screamed, giving one hard yank.

Several things followed.

There was a very loud _RIP_! She staggered back at the sudden freedom, her foot catching on the end of the stage. There were several cries of "LIZA!" when she fell. She groaned when her shock cleared, looking up.

Ted stared back. Then his eyes moved up and she realized that her head was bared. Liza scrambled out of the bridal carry, falling on her butt with a grunt. She snatched her scarf off the stage where it must've fallen and wrapped it, a little too tight, around her scars. All the animatronics were staring at her. "I'm going," she said finally, pushing past Ted to disappear into the office. She came out a minute later with her stuff and disappeared into the early morning.

"She's not too bad nowadays," Rex said, handing Kitty her guitar. She squealed quietly. "I mean, she really was influenced by-"

"Not a word," he said. Rex shrugged as Ted stalked out of the room. He ignored the little girl that replaced his reflection. 

" _Blaming yourself for what happened to Elijah will not make the past heal._ " Of course, he would wander by here. The Puppet was still working at the crossword, considering the boxes. Instead of the calavera paint their creator had carefully done, it had a face full of tears and a red chin. " _We need to get to work. Your twin has already warmed up to her._ "

"Would've preferred someone else, anybody else. Instead, you chose another night guard." Ted looked around the office. The kids' pictures were dulled with age. He chose to stare at one in particular. "You chose _her_."

_"Time is running out."_

"Hasn't she suffered enough?"

_"We needed someone."_

Ted nodded at the awful truth, turning to take his place on-stage. The Puppet huffed, disappearing into the box.

On the wall, a picture of a girl in yellow, standing next to her bear, stood staring.


	9. Chocolate Cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liza eats chocolate cake.

**Chocolate Cake**

Liza glared at her ceiling.

Thoughts were whirling around, making it impossible to sleep. If this trend of insomnia continued, she was going to make herself sick. She brushed that aside to consider what she knew.

The gauge was definitely homemade. She had pulled it apart and back together several times to find some type of serial number or anything, but nothing had popped up. There was the possibility that it was too small to see, but she pushed that back.

So.

Clues.

Someone was rigging the equipment. _Why_ was the question.

Liza wasn't sure, but she needed to find out.

-_-

" _What are you doing?_ "

Liza stood on her office chair, examining one of the ridiculous bombproof blast doors. The Puppet was ignoring its current project of sewing...something to watch her. Doll stood on the floor, watching her with a raised brow. "I have a theory," she said, patting down the top of the doorframe. "And I need to see if someone did something to this office."

" _The blast doors got installed after the murders._ " Doll suggested. " _Does that help?_ "

Liza stiffened before glancing down at her ghost. "Murders?"

" _Of the five kids._ "

She blinked, unsure how to respond to that. "Uh...well, maybe. Anything else?" Doll thought before shrugging. "Okay. Puppet?" It simply shook its head, returning its focus to its sewing project. It looked like a stuffed version of Doll. "You need anything for that?" she asked, nodding to it.

" _No, Night Guard. I am quite well with my materials._ "

She hopped off the chair to take a better look. It angled the doll so she could, revealing it was Doll. Instead of the green vest and skirt she wore, the doll version wore a lacy teal dress with a big bow. "Cool. Do you have everyone?" The Puppet shook its head. Before Liza could further pry, there was a knock.

The trio looked up. Kitty stood in the doorway, tapping her fingers together. "Um...do you want some chocolate cake?"

"What?"

"I made a chocolate cake and I need a taste tester." Kitty then leaned against the doorframe in a clear attempt to look casual. The wall shuddered under her weight. Something bonked against Liza's head. Crying out from the surprising pain, she looked down. "Are you okay, Miss Dorado?"

"Uh...yeah. Sure. I'd like some cake." Liza picked the object up. It was an audio recorder? Kitty perked up, not seeming to notice the recorder. Doll trailed after her as she followed the cat animatronic, tucking the recorder in her pocket. "You know, you don't have to call Miss Dorado," she said, focusing on the more important thing.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you can call me Liza. _Miss_ _Dorado_ sounds too adult-y."

There was a moment of silence. "I would like that, Liza," Kitty said softly.

There was another long moment of silence before Liza broke it. "I haven't seen Rex or Ted since last night," she said, resisting the urge to adjust her scarf. "Not that I'm complaining," she added sheepishly. "I just get the feeling that they don't like me. Although I don't know if it was something I did personally or Puppet's...choice."

"Well, I can't blame the boys for disliking you for the latter," Kitty said casually. Her stomach sank. "But, let's be honest. You have no idea what's going on, with your retro amnesty,"

"Retrograde amnesia."

"And it's not like you forced the Puppet to choose you." Liza couldn't help the smile. She felt better now. Kitty was much more reasonable than her whole Darla Dimple act on-stage.

"I'm not even sure what it- he? They? Do you know...?" Kitty shrugged. Lisa moved past that get back on track. "What it picked me for. I mean, I was already hired to watch this place. It all seems a little pointless." She hadn't realized the animatronic had stopped before running into her. "Kitty?"

The cat animatronic turned. "Yes, you were hired to guard this place," Kitty said softly. Green eyes stared down golden eyes. "But do you really know what it means to guard a place like this?"

Liza opened her mouth. Then she closed it, thinking the question over. Sure, it was just a restaurant. But it was also her family's legacy. "...I'm hoping to figure it out." she finally said. "Quickly."

Kitty nodded. The two returned to their kitchen trip. Liza allowed her companions to enter the kitchen first.

She entered and then stared.

"Ye're doin' it all shivery!"

"Hey, at least I have both hands!"

"And what is that supposed to mean?!"

Rex and Bun were arguing over a yellow icing bag. The chocolate cake was sitting in front of them and was clearly the thing they were using the icing on. Liza cleared her throat. Both stopped and stared. She waved. "Hi."

"Hi." Both said.

Lisa raised a brow. "What's going on here?"

Rex gave one last shove to Bun, winning him the icing bag. He quickly finished...whatever they were doing before pushing the cake forward. It made a perfect stop to where she had taken a seat. In yellow icing, the word _**SORRY**_ had been written out. "It's an apology for ripping your scarf," Rex said. "And making you uncomfortable."

That...

Liza sniffed, feeling tears prick at her eyes.

"Oh no, I think she's crying."

"Why is she crying?!"

"Lass?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" she managed out, quieting the worry as she wiped at her eyes. "This is just the nicest thing anybody's ever done for me. That I can remember." Kitty handed her a knife and she cut herself a slice. Much to her surprise, it was homemade. "And it's really good!"

"Thank you!"

Liza enjoyed her cake with Doll wrapped around her shoulders and the trio chatting about random things. Most of it was stuff that had happened during their free-roam days. She shifted, ready to ask some questions, before feeling a weight in her pocket. "I have a question," she said, drawing their attention. She pulled out the recorder. "Do you guys know what this is?"

"No," Kitty said, looking it over curiously. "What is it?"

"It's an audio recorder, hidden in the office. I was looking for stuff like this because I think somebody's rigging the place." Busy examining the recorder, she didn't notice them exchange looks. "Have you guys seen anything like this?"

They shook their heads before Kitty raised her hand. "Have you found the wire?"

"Wire?"

"Yeah. If it's recording, it's gotta be attached to something, right? Like my guitar and the speaker!"

Liza's eyes widened and she scrambled out the kitchen. "That's- Thank you!" She ran down the hallway, so dead focused on her destination that she didn't see the obstacle until she ran into it. She grunted when the air was knocked out of her and she fell back. Catching herself on the wall, she looked up in confusion.

"Ted!"

"Miss Dorado?"

"Um...nice to see you!" She started edging her way around, stomach sick with nerves. "Sorry, busy, you know, wire!" Before he could ask any questions, she was already sprinting.

The present box was closed when she got in. Liza pushed that aside to look up, trying to figure out where the recorder had fallen. She hit gold when she saw a small wire that was easy to ignore. Liza traced it to a small hole at the edge of the floor. Poking her head out, she found the wire again.

She followed it to...

Calworth's office.

"What is he doing?" she asked.

" _I don't know. But I think it's locked-_ " Doll started. She closed her mouth when Liza easily opened the door. " _What kind of manager doesn't lock their own office?!_ "

"I don't know. An overconfident one?"

Liza turned on the light, trying to find the wire. After getting on her knees, she was able to find it snaking up the desk...before it stopped. The end winked mockingly at her. She sighed, hopelessly confused. She got up, trying to look for any clues.

Her gaze landed on the desk.

There was a newspaper article. Liza picked it up, any thoughts of wires and clues vacating as she read it. Doll prepared to ask before the nightguard suddenly crumpled it up in her fist and stalked out of the office.

_Gsv_ _yilpvm_ _ulfmw_ _lfg_ _._


	10. Tears to Shed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liza remembers. Or thinks she does.

**Tears to Shed**

The door to the kitchen slammed open.

Liza didn't hear Doll's worried whispers to her. Rage had blurred everything out besides the information on the paper she held and Ted Bear himself. "Why did you do it?" she managed out. The bear looked surprised. "Why didn't you finish the job?" she said, yanking off her scarf to grip it, ignoring the pain from pulling some hair out with the rough motion.

He took a step back, holding his hands out in a gesture of peace. "Wait, Liza, let me-"

"You were my best friend and you nearly killed me!"

"If you would just let me-"

"You ruined my life! I trusted you, and what did you do? You nearly killed me! Goddamit, tell me what I did to deserve this!?" She threw the article at him, hot tears starting to roll down her cheeks. The article floated down to the floor, revealing a picture of ten-year-old Liza Dorado under a headline.

**NEAR-FATAL ACCIDENT OCCURS AT LOCAL PIZZERIA: The owner's niece is in status unknown at the local hospital.**

"I'm messed up in the head because of you. You could've just killed me, but no! You left me to suffer! What did I do to deserve this?" Her anger had faded away, leaving her to crumple. "What did I do?"

"Sweetheart..." Ted took a step closer, still holding his hands up. "I'm sorry. I am-"

" _Sorry_ doesn't fix _what happened_."

He stopped. "That's true. You have every right to be angry, Liza, but please, you need to understand-"

"UNDERSTAND WHAT?!" Everyone froze at her yell. "There's nothing to understand besides you fucking me up!"

"Liza- No- Please, just let me explain-" He froze, eyes going dark.

"What?!" There was no response. The second wave of anger calmed enough for her to feel a bit of concern. "Ted?" She took a step forward. She froze, hand outstretched in concern, when two white pinpricks appeared, staring straight at her. "Ted...?"

" _ **I want to finish the job.**_ "

Then there was a roar-

And then there was a clank. Liza opened her eyes in confusion, looking up. Rex was gripping Ted's wrists, clearly trembling with the effort of keeping the taller animatronic away. "Snap out of it!" Kitty barked next to her twin. "Bun, get her out of here!"

Bun was already there, pushing her along. "C'mon lass, let's go before it gets ugly." Before Liza could protest, she was dragged out. She couldn't get any words out before they were in the office. "Are ye alright-?"

"NO!" Liza yanked herself out of the animatronic's grip. "No, I'm not! I don't understand, why are you- _Dios_ , you guys are so unpredictable!" There she went again, feeling like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. She squashed that feeling down. "One minute, you're okay! The next, you're at my throat and the only real form of protection I have is a family heirloom nobody's seen in years! What is going on?" She sighed. "I...I need to know. Please."

Bun's ears had flattened with her look of shame. "Alright. Alright, lass, I'll tell ye everything. Are ye...aware of the five missing children?"

Those must be the murders Doll had been referring to. Liza nodded after a moment of thought, thinking back to Day of the Dead. "Apparently, it was a hard blow to the family, especially after Cousin Manolo died. It got worse when his brother Carlos was found..." The links snapped into place. She paled, staring at Bun.

The pirate sighed. "I see ye figured it out. The children were angry at their murder. They were found after a week, in us, and buried properly, but it was enough to make them swear to find their murderer. But their spirits had nowhere else to go."

Liza thought that over. "...so they came to you. Possessed you. Brought you to life. However you want to label it."

"Yes. They don't want anyone to know."

"Then how are you telling me?"

There was silence. Bun stared at Liza, her eyes slowly darkening. Remembering what happened when that had happened with Ted, she took a step back.

" _I'm sorry_ , prima." She stiffened. The voice was Bun's, but it also sounded so small. "Lo siento. _I'm not going to hurt you. I'm tired._ " A funny little noise escaped. It took her a moment to realize it was a wail. " _I'm tired of being angry._ ** _I'm sick of this!_** " The last sentence came out with so much anger, it broke her heart. "But..." Hands rested on her shoulders. "We _might be sick of it, but_ she's _not_."

"I'm guessing _she_ is the one in Ted." The possessed Bun nodded. "Wait! There are five of the ghosts, but there's only four animatronics. Where's the..." She stopped as a cold realization crawled up her spine. "...fifth one." She turned to stare at Doll.

Like how dew would evaporate on a warm summer morning, Doll's features shifted. Liza felt her stomach attempt to riot as she took her in. Instead of unbroken skin and hair pulled back into a neat ponytail, her head looked crushed. Green eyes were almost falling out. Similar cuts and bruises bled all over her.

Another push broke her out of her thoughts of a sunny day in 2005. " _Look, it doesn't matter who is possessing who, you need to_ go _!_ "

Liza nodded, quickly grabbing her stuff. She paused for a minute when the bow shifted, feeling unease curdle in her gut. The lid opened and the Puppet peered out. They stared each other down before it simply closed the lid. Loud thumps coming down the hallway made her pull her gaze out.

She ran out of the office.

Ted was coming from the hallway. They locked black-eyed gazes.

Liza felt something surge through her and emotions that definitely weren't _hers_ clouded her mind. " _Back off._ " she snarled, unaware of Doll glaring. A look of rage formed on his face. She sprinted for the door, all too aware of the ghost's glare on her back.

She locked the door behind her and ran for her car.

She didn't stop running until she had slammed the door to her apartment.


End file.
